Open Source GA Open Source GA
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Design and small airplane project help, by the hour.

One-on-one time with an aerospace engineer and flight test professional who owns and maintains old airplanes himself. From an STL scan to a drawing your shop can build from.

What an hour covers.

  • Cleaning up an STL scan in SolidWorks, Fusion 360, FreeCAD, or Blender until it's editable CAD
  • Preparing files for 3D printing, laser cutting, or CNC, with the right tolerances for each
  • A design review before you commit to fabrication
  • Material and process choices for interior, cosmetic, and non-structural parts
  • Understanding the owner-produced parts pathway and what your IA will want to see on paper
  • Planning a scan session so you capture the datums an engineer will actually need

Sessions are video calls with screen share. You'll get the notes, any sketches, and the files we touched the same day.

Consultation.

$175for the first hour, then $125 for each additional hour.

Booked in one-hour blocks with Jawanza Bassue, aerospace engineer and flight test professional. Bring the part, the scan, or just the problem. Invoiced after the session. Reschedule up to 24 hours ahead at no charge.

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Reverse engineering, done for you.

Scanning gets you an STL. Turning that mesh into editable CAD is a separate job, and one we can take on for you. Email us about the part and we'll explain what the rebuild involves and what it costs on top of the scan.

  1. Scan.

    On our bench for mail-ins, with shipping both ways paid by you, or on site for parts that can't come off the airplane. Multiple passes, aligned and merged.

  2. Merge.

    Passes aligned and merged into one mesh. Stray geometry and obvious noise removed.

  3. Check.

    Overall dimensions compared to the original part by hand, so you know the STL is to scale before you start modeling.

  4. Deliver.

    One STL file per part, with notes on the areas that need attention in CAD. Rebuild it yourself in SolidWorks, Fusion 360, FreeCAD, or Blender, or hand it back to us and we will quote the modeling. The scan also joins the repository.

Contact us Reverse engineering is an add-on, quoted per part on top of the scanning fee. Every scan becomes Open Source GA property.

Recent projects.

Three parts, three different endings: a sheet-metal skin, a machined bracket, and a laser-cut panel.

3D scan of a Beechcraft Bonanza P35 cabin door frame with a modeled replacement inner panel
Cabin door inner skinBeechcraft Bonanza P35. Door scanned on the airplane, inner panel modeled flat for a new sheet-metal skin.
Rendering of a McCauley propeller governor bracket modeled from a 3D scan
Governor bracketMcCauley. Worn original scanned and rebuilt as a solid model with a drawing for a machined replacement.
3D scan of a Piper Twin Comanche switch panel with a flat panel layout for laser cutting
Right switch panelPiper Twin Comanche. Switch and breaker locations captured from the scan and laid out for a laser-cut panel.
Rendering of a Beechcraft fuel selector trim piece reconstructed from a 3D scan
Fuel selector trimBeechcraft. Cracked plastic trim scanned and remodeled for printing in a UV-stable material.

Who books an hour.

Aircraft owners

You've found the part that's been out of production for thirty years and want to know what your options are, and what your mechanic will need from you.

A&P mechanics

You have an STL, or a customer who needs one, and want help turning it into a drawing you can put in front of a fabricator without a week of back and forth.

Aerospace engineers

You need a reliable STL of the original part for a PMA package, an STC, or a repair design, and would rather not spend the budget on a scanner you'll use once.

Bring the part. We'll bring the plan.

Pick a time on the calendar. If you're not sure an hour is the right format, email first and we'll tell you.

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